Well-drilling apparatus



I 21, 1931- w. SHELDON 1,801,391

WELL DRILLING APPARATUS Filed July 24, 1928 INVENTOR wa dzr W ATTORNEYPatented Apr. 21, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WALDO SHELDON, OFSOUTH NOBWALK, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO SHELDON MIA- OHIN'ERYCORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK WELL-DRILLING APPARATIJ'S Original application filed Kay 5, 1926, Serial No.106,850. Divided and this application filed July 24, 1928. Serial No.294,974.

. in United States This invention relates particularly to power feedrotary drills of the type disclosed patent application 106,850, filedMay 5, 1926 of which the present case is a division.

Special objects of the invention are to improve the power cylinderstructure so as to enable the piston packing to be adjusted withouttaking off thecylinder head and to accomplish the attainment of thisresult in a simple and practical manner.

The various novel features of the invention will appear in the course ofthe following specification.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specificationillustrates one of the practical commercial embodiments of theinvention, but it should be understood that the structure may bemodified without departure from the true spirit'and basic scope of theinvention as covered broadly in the claims.

The single figure in the drawing is a side elevation and part brokenvertical sectional view of a rotary power feed drill having theinvention incorporated therein.

In the illustration, the table of the rotary is shown at 1 journalled ina base structure 2 and having a drive sleeve 3 keyed therein at 4. Thisdrive sleeve carries the drill pipe grips and other devices (not shown)and is raised and lowered by the piston of the power cylinder.

The power cylinder is shown as of annular construction made up of outerand inner cylinder walls 5 and 6connected at the bottom by a cylinderhead 7 and closed at the top by a cylinder head 8.

Operatin within the annular cylinder space is a piston of annular formand shown as made up of an annular head 9 connected with a sleeve 10,which forms an annular piston rod operating up past the upper cylinderhead and carrying the upper and lower thrust bearings 11, 12 engagingthe upper and lower thrust bearings 13, 14 of the drive sleeve.

The piston is shown as being keyed against rotation in the cylinder byalong key 15 between the inner face of the annular piston head, and inorder that rod and the outer face of the inner cylinder wall. Packingrings 16 are indicated between the outer face of the inner cylinder walland the oversliding wall of the annular piston rod and compressiblepacking rings 17 of substantially rectangular cross-section are shownseated in an open sided cavity 18 in the upper piston head where theymay be expanded inwardly against the outer face of the annular pistonrod by an overlying thrust ring 19 engaged by a take up ring 20 screwedin the upper portion of this pack ing cavity.

The annular piston head is shown as having outwardly and inwardlyopening seats 21, 22 containing compressible packing rings 23, 24 ofsubstantially rectangular cross-section and borne upon by an expanderring 25 of substantially U-cross-section and having annular ribs 26, 27bearing upon the outer and inner packing rings. The annular cavity 28 ofthis expander fits over the intermediate annular rib 29 of the pistonhead, so that the expander can be moved toward the head to expand theinner and outer sets of packing rings. To accomplish this last result,bolts 30 are shown extending through the expander into the body of thepiston access may be had to these bolts while the machine is assembled,ports 31 are provided in the lower cylinder head in line with theseexpander bolts, which ports are normally suitably closed as by means ofplugs 32 or pipe 33, the latter being utilized for admission and exhaustof operating fluid to and from the lower end of the cylinder. A pipeconnection is indicated at 34 for admission and exhaust of operatingfluid to and from the upper end of the cylinder, above the piston head.

The piston is held against turning in the cylinder, so that the expanderbolts remain in line with the port? in the cylinder head. The pistonpacking therefore may be adjusted for wear at any time by simply openingup these ports and setting up the expander bolts as much as may berequired. The power cylinder is detachably mounted or supported from pthe base as indicated, so that if at any time the and the properadjustment be effected by setting up the adjustable upper packingexpander.

The lower cylinder head may have a screw connection or be integral withthe inner cylinder wall at 35 and as being secured to the outer cylinderwall by bolts 36 so that upon removal of the latter, this lower cylinder\{lflfld with the inner cylinder wall may be owered or withdrawn to givefull access to the piston for the purpose of replacing the pistonpacking rings or the like.

It will be noted that the transversely U- shaped expander ring archesover the end of v the piston body forming a flat piston head for thepressure fluid to act on and that because of its engagement with boththe inside and the outside piston packings, simultaneous adjustment ofthese paekings is effected when the expander ring is adjusted.

What is claimed is: I

1. In apparatus of the character disclosed, an annular cylinder, anannular piston operating in said annular cylinder, packing for saidannular piston, an annular expander for said packing, bolts on saidannular piston for adjusting said annular packing expander, said annularcylinder having passages in line with said bolts for exposing saidexpander adjusting bolts 'to external operation, readily removableclosures for said passages and means for keying the annular pistonagainst readily accessible for the purpose of adjusting the bolts.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

' WALDO SHELDON.

rotation in the annular cylinder, whereby to maintain the alignment ofsaid expander adjusting bolts with the passages aforesaid.

2. In apparatus of the character disclosed, an annular power cylinder,an annular piston operating in said cylinder and having packing seats atthe outer and inner sides of the same, expansible packing rings in saidseats, an expander ring of substantially U-cross-section extending overthe end of the piston and engaging the packing rings and means foradjusting said expander toward the piston head to thereby simultaneouslyexpand both the outer and inner packing rings.

3. In apparatus of the character disclosed, an annular power cylinder,an annular piston operating in said cylinderand having packing seats atthe outer and inner sides of the same, .expansible packing rings in saidseats,

1 an expander ring of substantially U-cross-section extending over theend of the piston and engaging the packing rings, means for adjustingsaid expander toward the piston head to thereby simultaneously expandboth the outer and inner packing rings, said expander adjusting meansbeing disposed at the end of the piston structure and the annularcylinder having an end head with a passage to expose said expanderadjusting means for external manipulation.

4. A combination as in claim 3, in which the expander adjusting meanscomprise a plu-

